Reconceptualising learner support in the South African Police Service

Abstract

The democratisation of education in South Africa reflects a worldwide phenomenon. Coupled with democratisation is the demand for institutional accountability with regard to learner success and support. Regulating authorities such as the Departments of Education and Higher Education, therefore expect training institutions to establish and maintain student support services to assist learners in the successful completion of their studies. As a recognised and accredited education and training service provider, the South African Police Service is therefore required not only to train its employees but also to accept responsibility for the success of its learners. The purpose of this research study is to explore whether or not existing SAPS learner support services rendered to trainees during basic police training are regarded by trainees as valuable and effective. The findings of the study should assist the SAPS in determining areas in which it could improve these services to ensure the success of all its trainees. For the purposes of this study learner support is defined as a comprehensive and rigorous system supporting learning through the provision of a broad spectrum of services (academic and non-academic) that are meant to enable learners to optimise their learning experience. The constructivist learning theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. The research design utilised was survey research, and the data collection instrument was a questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire as well as the validity of the constructs utilised were confirmed by means of tests relevant to this purpose. The sample used was representative of the learner population in the SAPS and the response could be classified as very good. The most important findings of this research study were that the learners participating in the research experienced the learner support services they received as useful/helpful and timely rendered. While the results of the frequency tests suggest the existence of some conflicting findings with regard to the usefulness/helpfulness and timeliness of the services rendered it was therefore be concluded that learners who utilised the services found them satisfactory. Overall, it was found that learner support services were regarded as important and generally delivered on time. The instrument, and the large number of respondents involved in the generation of data, ensured a refined analysis of the data. Based on the analysis it was possible to identify specific academies where the provisioning of learner support was more advanced than others. It was also possible to identify specific aspects regarding learner support that could be strengthened, such as Library Services. The research indicates that the SAPS could target certain aspects of its support services and academies for improvement. This study concluded by recommending a learner support model for the South African Police Service.